Army slams NDF-Negros for ‘false accusations’

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – The Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade (IBde) firmly denied the allegations of the National Democratic Front (NDF)-Negros that a leader of the New People’s Army (NPA) and his comrade were murdered by the military troopers, following two clashes in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental last Wednesday.

The Army reacted to the statement of Ka Bayani Obrero, NDF-Negros spokesperson, claiming that Ericson Legazpi Acosta alias “Raffy,” and Joseph Jimenez alias “Tantan,” a peasant organizer were victims of summary execution of the 94th Infantry Battalion (IB) and 47th IB.

According to the Army, Acosta was an alleged deputy secretary of Komiteng Rehiyon- Negros Cebu Bohol Siquijor (KR-NCBS) and head of the Political Unified Committee (PUC) of the NPA in Visayas. He is the husband of Kerima Tariman, also an alleged NPA leader killed in an encounter with the 79th IB in Silay City in August 2021.

In a statement, Captain Mervin Rosal, civil-military operations officer of 303rd IBde, said that “the indisputable fact is that Acosta and his comrade were killed in a legitimate encounter with the military troopers at Sitio Makilo, Barangay Camansi when the government forces responded to a report on the alleged extortion of NPA rebels in the area.”

Aside from the said accusation, the NDF-Negros also alleged that the Army was behind the disappearance of Ronald Francisco, his wife, and their children (a boy and two girls).

But the 303rd IBde said Obrero fabricated the story which is part of NDF-Negros’ desperate action to damage the respectable reputation of the troopers in the area and to conceal their major setback.

“They can no longer deceive the Negrenses through their obsolete and over-abused propaganda line, as the people are now fully aware of their lies and deceptions,” Rosal said in a statement.

The 303rd IBde strongly condemn the “false accusations of the NDF-Negros and their allies at the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA NDF Central Committee against our soldiers.”

The Army encouraged the Negrenses to join and help them spread the truth and denounce the tactics of the NDF-Negros.

Meanwhile, the 3rd Infantry Division (ID), in a statement, said it is unfortunate that they were neutralized in the said encounter.

Lieutenant Colonel Magno Mapalad III, officer-in-charge of 3ID Public Affairs Office, said the claim of NDF-Negros that Acosta was a consultant working on Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER), is a lie, as it is non-existent.

The government does not give a scant attention to the CASER nor does it recognize the existence of any consultant of the NDF, he added.

Mapalad said the only policy of the government is the unconditional surrender of all members of the CPP-NDF-NPA under the localized peace engagements within the National Task Force – to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) framework.

The 3ID also called out the NDF-Negros to put an end to their claims that they have the support of the masses in Negros.